Out of Proportion
by Batholith Fetish
Summary: Years after Amity Park turned their backs on him, Danny Phantom has returned, although greatly changed. Will he learn to forgive his town? Will they learn to forgive themselves? dannyxember
1. Chapter 1

Batholith Fetish: That's right people, I'm back, ready for another round of Danny Phantom! Whoo! (throws confetti in the air) This time, I've returned with a Danny x Ember! And I plan to keep it that way too, so no, even when Sam gets insanely jealous over Ember, do not get your hopes up, because this will not, I repeat, will NOT be a Danny x Sam story, thank you very much. And now...(drums beat)...for the story!! (trumpets sound and doves fly out into the air!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. What did you expect, for me to say, "Yeah, I'm Butch Hartman"?

Full Summary: Years after Amity Park turned their backs on him, Danny Phantom has returned. But he's changed so much, that for Sam, everything is seemingly out of proportion. Will Danny ever be able to forgive his town? Will they be able to forgive themselves?

* * *

Chapter One: What Have We Done?

Sam Manson sat at the edge of the lake, thrusting stones angrily into the dark water. Even though it was night time, her wet eyes glistened in the moonlight. She wasn't the only one who was depressed on this god forsaken day. Tucker, the Fentons, and many of the Ghost Boy's fans and admirers were mourning as well, at the loss of their loved one. No, don't worry, no one died, but he might as well have, because he sure as hell wasn't coming back, ever.

Danny Fenton, also known as Danny Phantom, had run away. Why, you ask? Well, let's rewind to an earlier part of the day...

"Yes! Flee, pitiful homo-sapiens! For I, Technus, master of all technology, shall blast your internal organs to oblivion! Muahaha!"

A very technic ghost, Technus, was floating around in Amity Park's sky, terrorizing the citizens and looking very pleased about it, which was evident in his highly irritating, villainous laugh. But wait, there's more!

"Hahaha! Citizens of Amity Park, prepare to perish under my cubical boxes of doom! Beware!"

A blue ghost in overalls, the Box Ghost, was laughing manically (and annoyingly) as well, shouting 'Beware!' at anyone who came near. Typical.

"Running for your lives? That's against the rules," a tall ghost in a white coat said with a smirk. Walker, no doubt.

"You need more meat on those bones!" the Lunch Lady screamed at a trembling boy. She then asked sweetly, "Cookie?" When the boy nodded his head, she screeched, "TOO BAD!"

These weren't the only ghosts terrorizing Amity Park today. Skulker, Desiree, Spectra, and Bertrand, among many, many others, also chose this day to wreak havoc upon the defenseless, pitiful town. It's hopeless. No one can save Amity Park now. Except...

Danny Phantom suddenly swooped down out of nowhere, throwing ecto beams and punches as he went, catching all the ghosts by surprise. But they quickly recovered, and focused their attention on the intruder.

"Give it up, whelp!" Skulker threatened, aiming a huge gun with blinking lights all over it at the ghost boy. "If you do, maybe I'll consider skinning you quickly."

"Ha! I wouldn't count on that," Danny said with a smirk, blasting Skulker to the ground with one of his ectoplasmic shots. Some people who were running away stopped to watch the fight in fascination, while others shook their fists angrily at Phantom. They still had issues over him. Suddenly, a huge screen appeared out of nowhere, and the face of none other than Vlad Masters, mayor of Amity Park, came into focus.

"Good evening citizens of Amity Park, ghosts, Maddie," he greeted, batting his eyes at the last name. Maddie Fenton, who was standing nearby with her husband, both prepared to fight, crossed her arms and glared. Vlad continued, "As mayor of Amity Park, it is my duty to keep my people safe, and the only way I can do that is to rid my town of these foul ghosts. Especially one in particular, whom you may know as...Danny Phantom." Everyone turned to stare at Danny, some glaring, others looking confused. Danny ignored them, and continued to look up at the Vlad screen with suspicious eyes.

"For nearly a year now, this ghost has disturbed Amity Park and its peace, not only destroying their harmless way of life, but attracting a number of multiple ghosts, each more dangerous than the last."

The ghosts, who had ceased action to stare up at the screen, stuck out their chests proudly at the consideration that they were 'dangerous'.

"Despite all my efforts, my incredible talents cannot seem to defeat this troublemaking ghost child," Vlad continued. "But my amazing brain skills has finally hatched a brilliant plan to rid us forever of this mongrel, and it seems the only way I can do that is to reveal his secret."

Danny --as well as Jazz, Sam, and Tucker, who were standing nearby-- gasped. Screen Vlad just smirked, and the screen fuzzed to show a recording of Phantom.

"Citizens of Amity Park, I give you Danny Phantom. Or should I say, Danny Fenton!"

In the recording, two blue rings appeared around Phantom's waist and separated, leaving none other than Danny Fenton in its place. The crowd gasped. Danny Phantom, who had been holding the Box Ghost by the scruff of his overalls the whole time, promptly dropped him and fell to the ground, gaping at the screen in horror and shock. Jazz, Tucker, and Sam froze. Slowly, Danny turned around to face his parents. A look of pure and utter shock was evident on their pale faces. They slowly turned to look at their half ghost son as well. Danny gulped.

"Uh...surprise?" he said awkwardly. Maddie and Jack gaped at him for a moment, before they burst out laughing.

"That's a good one Vlad!" Jack shouted to the screen. "How did you do it, movie editing?"

Vlad frowned at the 'insignificant fool', as he so enjoyed calling him.

"This is no trick, Jack; I am afraid your son is in fact Danny Phantom," said Vlad. "Actually, I'm not afraid, I'm glad. Yes, very glad indeed."

Danny turned back to his parents and sighed.

"He's right. Here, I think it's better if I show you. If I show all of you." And with that, he climbed up on a platform where everyone could see him, and transformed back into Danny Fenton. The grins were instantly wiped from Maddie and Jack's faces, and they realized with horror that there was no denying it; their son was a ghost.

"Gee Danny, your parents look like they've just seen a ghost!" Tucker joked, unable to resist the temptation to turn every situation into a corny one. "Haha, get it, ghost? Ah, I crack myself up."

But even his joke couldn't lighten up the mood, and Sam nudged him angrily in the ribs to make him aware of how serious the situation was. Tucker stopped laughing immediately. Maddie and Jack continued to stare at Danny, he staring back at them nervously, until Maddie cleared her throat.

"How...how did this happen?" she asked quietly.

"Ghost portal," Danny replied simply. "It's hard to explain, really. When I went inside, I got shocked, but I only half died...if that makes sense."

He blinked at them, before transforming back into Phantom.

"So...you accept me...right?" he asked hopefully. Maddie and Jack looked at each other. The silence lasted for eternity, before they slowly stepped back.

"No," they said quietly, slightly shaking their heads. Danny was taken back, not expecting this answer even though he knew the possibilty of it.

"W-what?" he stuttered in disbelief. All this time, he had been so sure they would accept him...

Jack and Maddie took another step back, and laid their hands on the guns at their side. Everyone tensed, even the ghosts.

"How can this be?" Jack wondered aloud. "How can this be our son, this...this freak!"

Danny looked as if he had been slapped. He glanced at Tucker and Sam helplessly. They made a move as if to go near him, but their parents held them back.

"Samantha, stay away from that freak," Mrs. Manson warned her, glaring up at Danny in disgust.

"That goes for you too, Tucker," Mrs. Foley agreed, glaring at Danny with the same look of disgust. But Jack and Maddie were more than repulsed. They glared at Danny in...hatred.

Trembling, Danny looked back at his friends for support, but they slowly turned their backs and let their parents hold them away. Oh, how they would regret that later.

Danny stared at their backs, not daring to believe, not _wanting_ to believe that they had just abandoned him. They weren't the only ones, however. Slowly, one by one, the crowd yelled 'freak' at Danny, until all of Amity Park was chanting the cruel name.

"Freak! Freak! Freak!" they screamed loudly. Danny staggered as he would under blows. Out of nowhere, a rock hit him on the head. Then another, and another, and...

Pretty soon, everyone was throwing things at him, from rocks to shoes to dirt. Someone even spat their gum on him.

"Let's kill him! Let's kill the ghost freak!" someone yelled. And soon after that everyone, even Maddie and Jack, were chanting the same lines and slowly walking dangerously near Phantom. Danny put up his hands as if to defend himself, but Jazz suddenly leapt upon the platform, holding out her arms in front of Danny protectively.

"Stop it!" she screamed at the crowd. "Stop it! He's not a freak, and he's not dangerous! He's just trying to protect you!" But when the citizens of Amity Park started to throw stones at her too, and the stones started to get bigger and heavier, she had no choice but to step down.

"Danny!" she called desperately from below the platform, "You have to go! They'll kill you!" But Danny could only stand there in shock, unable to believe what was happening. However, an anti-ghost shot that whizzed past his ear brought him back to reality and made him aware of the grave danger he was in. He slowly floated up and looked down at the crowd. They were still throwing stones, only this time, Maddie and Jack had joined in, and were now shooting blasts from their anti-ghost guns at him. He saw Tucker and Sam looking up at him helplessly, and holding back Jazz, who was struggling to break free from their grip and get to her brother. Even the ghosts looked too shocked to do anything, as they, like everyone else, had always expected the town, and especially his own parents, to accept the ghost child. He blinked down at them all, the shock of the situation being too huge to fully grasp. The town knew his secret...the town hated him...his parents knew his secret...they didn't accept him...Tucker and Sam turned their backs on him...and he was alone...

That hit him like a brick wall. He was alone. Alone. Finally realizing just what that word meant, Danny took off without a moment's hesitation, not knowing where he was going and not really caring, just as long as it was away from Amity Park. With a loud cackle at his success, the Vlad screen turned blank, and the ghosts couldn't even try to pursue the ghost boy. The crowd continued to roar and shout, angry that they couldn't kill him, but all in all glad he was gone. Sam ad Tucker released Jazz, and she fell to her knees and sobbed at the loss of her brother. Sam and Tucker blinked after the dot in the sky that was their friend.

"He...he's really gone?" Sam ventured to ask. Tucker gave a silent nod.

"And he's...not coming back?" she pushed. Another silent nod. Sam stared at the sky for a moment longer, before burying her face in her hands and breaking out into violent sobs.

"What have we done?!"

* * *

Batholith Fetish: Ooh, angsty much? Poor Danny! So...so far so good? You like it? Hate it? Would die if I didn't continue, or kill yourself if I did? Well then, let me know in your...reviews!


	2. Surprise, Surprise

Batholith Fetish: Wow, I am impressed! My story was only out for a few hours and already I had at least three reviews, which is way more than I expected. I didn't even expect to get one review on the first day, and now I have TEN?! Haha, well, here's another chapter as my way of saying thank-you. :)

* * *

Chapter Two: Surprise, Surprise

And so, it had been seven years since that fateful day, when Amity Park turned their backs on their hero. Life was much harder, now. Sure, there was still Valerie and the Fentons to take care of ghosts, but they weren't as good as Phantom was, and the amount of ghosts that plagued the town doubled, each more dangerous than ever. And now, Vlad had sent his Masters Blasters once again, and the citizens had to pay twice as much as before everytime they were saved. The pain of having Danny gone gradually lessened for Tucker, Sam, and Jazz, now in their twenties, but it was still there. The citizens of Amity Park were starting to wish their precious hero would come back, the ghosts were getting bored yet more malicious, and all the students who had known Danny felt bad for having been so careless to him, especially those like Dash and his gang. Maddie and Jack took it the hardest. After Danny left, and Jazz, Tucker, and Sam began to fully explain things, they were left almost-dead after the huge hurricane of guilt hit them. The realization that they had attacked their own son and sent him away with a heavy heart and a feeling of neglection swept them away like a tsunami. They stopped working on inventions, they lost their youthful appearance, and they moped around the house in a depressing state. At least Jazz had some comfort that she had stood up for her brother, but now Tucker and Sam would have to carry the guilt that they had turned their backs on their friend for as long as they lived. Everyone was hopelessly convinced that Danny Phantom would never return. Until he did.

It was another average ghost attack, nothing new. Oh, except of course that this time, Valerie and the Fentons were being held hostage by them, the Masters Blasters were being taken to the hospital on account of serious injuries, and all the ghost weapons anyone could find had been utterly destroyed. Which meant that no one was protecting the town. Which meant that Amity Park had to fend for themselves against these ghastly intruders. Which meant that, to put it simply, they were doomed.

The citizens ran around in circle, screaming their heads off that the end of the world had come at last. The unknown ghosts floated above the scattering crowd, cackling and blasting ecto-beams at them, as if they were no lower than ants. Sam and Tucker were running along with everyone else, trying to find any type of weapon they could get their hands on, all in vain. They, too, were getting a sense of hopelessness. It seemed all was lost.

"Hey, uglies, why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" Or was it?

The entire crowd literally stopped and turned in the direction of the voice. Sam and Tucker turned too, and they eyes nearly popped out of their heads. Sam's mouth opened and closed in disbelief, much like a fish would do, until she suddenly shrieked,

"DANNY?!"

The crowd gasped. All of Amity Park gasped. Even the Masters Blasters, who were watching what was happening on TV in the hospital, gasped. For indeed it was Danny. The crowd awkwardly stepped nearer to the figure that had shouted his command, hope slowly but surely coming back to them. Could this be? Had Danny Phantom finally returned?

Danny Phantom, however, took no notice of them. Instead he, along with three other ghosts (who whizzed by so fast that no one could interpret who they were) flew at full speed towards the ghost gang. They formed into a well-practiced circle around the ghosts, and slowly circled around them, trapping them in while they showered them with ecto blasts. The ghosts shrieked in agony and slashed out at the group with their tentacles, whipping each of them down. It was now that they were on the ground that the crowd got a good look at them.

Everyone recognized Danny, of course, who didn't look very different from when they last saw him except that he was taller and more muscular (he still had the same haircut that gave him away), but there was also a blonde guy in a biker outfit, a girl with short-cropped green hair in a red leather jacket and mini-skirt as well as black ankle-high boots and fish-net tights, and finally a pregnant blue-haired girl clad in black leather pants and boots but a comfortable-looking black cotton shirt that hid her stomach. An unknown green-haired little boy in a baseball attire peeked out worriedly at them, but remained next to the two shiny, black motorcycles that Danny Phantom and his gang had apparently arrived in.

Though the blow had hit them roughly, the five quickly shook it off and flew up towards the ghosts again, carefully avoiding their tentacles this time. The crowd stood in amazement as they watched their long lost hero and his new team beat the ghosts to a pulp. They could tell that Phantom and his team were getting tired, but Phantom suddenly shouted "Amy! Take 'em down!" to the blue haired girl, and the remaining four heroes created a distraction while 'Amy' sneaked behind the evil ghosts and out of nowhere pulled out a soup thermos. She opened it and sucked the monsters in. Once their shrieks ended, she quickly clamped the lid shut, smirking at the smoking thermos in glee. The team grinned at their success and walked forward to congratulate each other, when a sudden burst of cheers made them freeze.

Amity Park had errupted into cheers and whistles, clearly thankful that this ghost team had gotten rid of the evil spirits that had attacked them. Phantom instinctively pulled the pregnant blue-haired girl closer to him, and the green-haired girl and blonde guy looked around in confusion at the ecstatic crowd. But it was Sam who squeezed her way between the crowd and walked bravely to the person she thought she had lost forever.

"Danny?" she repeated meekly, as if she didn't believe he was really standing in front of her, solid flesh and blood. Danny blinked, and realization suddenly dawned upon his face.

"Sam?" The gothic girl nodded, glad that Danny had not forgotten her after all.

"Danny?" called another voice. They looked over to find that Maddie, Jack, Valerie, and Jazz were freed now that the ghosts were gone, and were walking cautiously but eagerly towards the one they thought was never to return. Danny frowned slightly at them, but as soon as he saw the orange-haired young woman that was his sister, his face broke into a smile for the first time.

"Jazz." He said her name tenderly, and she noticed this and ran forward without thinking, straight into Danny's arms. He 'oofed', but did not push her away. Everyone took that as a good sign, and silently breathed a sigh of relief. Sam reached forward to embrace him too once he let go of Jazz, but to her surprise, he backed away. She stopped, hurt and confused at his actions.

"Danny," she said, almost pitifully, "Don't...don't you remember me?"

For a moment, a ghost of a smile seemed to cross his face, but to their dismay, his next words were, "Yeah, I remember you. You're the one who turned her back on me."

Sam flinched, clearly hurt and guilty by what he said. It was then that Danny noticed his parents and Tucker, standing awkwardly on the sidelines.

"So," he said in an almost bored-sounding tone, nodding at them, "We meet again. Where are the guns, huh? Don't you want to destroy me?"

They all shrank at the coldness of his voice, but were all aware that Danny had every right to say those things. Maddie cleared her throat, and when she spoke, her voice quavered,

"Danny, what we did was wrong, and we know that. But...we forgive you."

Here, Danny snorted.

"_You_ forgive _me_? I have nothing to be sorry for."

Maddie ceased talking as soon as she realized she had said the wrong thing. Sam's eyes watered.

"Danny, _we're_ the ones who are sorry. Please, understand."

"Why should I?" he spat. "You didn't understand me."

"Just, please, forgive us!" Sam pleaded desperately. "You forgave Jazz!"

"Yeah, well, unlike you, Jazz tried to defend me. She stood up for me. But you? Of course not!"

Sam flinched at the harsh implication of his words, but just as she was about to speak, some brave soul from the crowd shouted, "Who are you?"

Danny smirked, and outstretched his arms to indicate his team.

"We are Team Independence. Why? 'Cause we don't need anyone other than each other. You should all remember me as Danny Phantom, but I go by just Phantom now. That," pointing to the blonde guy, "Is Johnny, or Johnny 13. That," pointing to the green haired girl, "Is Kitty. And this," holding the pregnant blue-haired girl closer to him, "Is my wife, Amy. Or, as you probably know her, Ember McLain."

Now, knowing that Johnny and Kitty, two of Danny's enemies, were on his team was shocking enough. But the fact that his wife was _Ember McLain_? Now that was just too much.

"You married Ember McLain?!" Sam schreeched in a sudden fury. "Ember McLain?! The one who tried to kill you, the one who almost wrecked our friendship and tried to take over the world, Ember McLain, the bitch?!"

After her heated rant, Sam suddenly found herself on the ground. It took her a while to process that Danny had pushed her. He now stood over her, glaring.

"Don't. You. DARE. Call. My. Wife. A. Bitch," he said through gritted teeth. Sam could only blink, frightened by his reaction.

"I've had enough of this place," Danny said angrily. "We're leaving. Youngblood," shouting to the green-haired kid in the baseball outfit that still stood next to the motorcycles, "Start up the bikes!"

Youngblood did as he was told, and the motorcycles started up. However, they died just as soon as they had started.

"Youngblood, I said start the bikes!" Danny repeated, apparently fed up.

"I can't!" Youngblood called back. "They broke down!"

"What do you mean, broke down?!" Danny asked angrily, marching over to the motorcycles along with Johnny. The two men checked the motorcycles inside and out, but the results weren't exactly pleasant. The vehicles had indeed broken down. Danny growled out furiously, and looked at his wife helplessly. "Now what do we do?"

Kitty looked at the blackening sky. "It's getting dark," she pointed out. "We need someplace to stay."

"But the bikes broke down," Danny repeated the obvious. "How are we going to get anywhere?"

"How should I know?" she cried indignantly. "You're the leader here, think of something!"

"You could stay with us," Jazz suddenly piped up, interrupting their conversation.

"Under the same roof as Maddie and Jack?" Danny asked her incredulously, as if it were the craziest thing he had ever heard. Maddie and Jack winced at the fact that Danny had used their first names, and not that nicely either. Jazz, however, was persistent.

"Sure," she urged. "At least until you get your bikes fixed." She pointed at the dark sky. "I also have a feeling it's going to rain." The air did have that kind of feeling. Danny opened his mouth to protest against Jazz's offer, but Ember pulled him aside and whispered something in his ear that made him reconsider. He looked back at his once family and sighed.

"Fine," he agreed, earning smiles from them, "But as soon as we get our bikes fixed, we're out of here. Period."

Maddie and Jack got in the Fenton RV after hooking up the motorcycles to a tow line on the back of their truck, and beckoned for Team Independence to enter the RV as well. Sam watched with scrutination as Kitty and Johnny clambered inside with Youngblood, and her gaze hardened as she watched Danny help Ember into the vehicle with great care and gentleness. He looked at the crowd, who gazed right back at him, before his eyes finally landed on Sam and Tucker. His gaze lingered on them for a moment, before he sighed and climbed in after Ember. The Fenton RV took off.

* * *

Batholith Fetish: Okay, yeah, I kinda rushed in on this one, but I've been waiting a long time to write this story, and I'm not very good with lingering introductions. And yes, I know Team Independence isn't the greatest name in the world, bear with me. So...Danny teamed up with Johnny and Kitty, _and _is married to Ember? And not only that, but she's pregnant too! If you like reading suspenseful stories that include an insanely jealous Sam, then you're in for a real treat! :) Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	3. Danny's Story

Batholith Fetish: Alright, about the questions some of you may have had...

I used Ember's other last name (McLain) because Danny knew that was how everyone would remember her. Okay? :) Also, Danny and his gang can fly, but they use the motorcycles because Johnny made them with useful features (like ecto blasts and such), and they didn't want to leave them behind.  
And now, for the chapter you've all been waiting for!

* * *

Chapter Three: Danny's Story

The next morning, Sam went over to Fenton Works and knocked at the door. She was greeted by none other than Danny, just the person she wanted to see.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, a trace of anger still in his voice. She noticed he was still in his ghost form.

"I wanted to see you," she answered truthfully, ignoring his tone.

"Yeah? Well you're the last person I want to see," he retorted. Before he could close the door, however, Sam stuck her foot in.

"Please, Danny. I just want to talk."

"My name is Phantom now, and what's there to talk about? You said plenty when you turned your back on me."

Sam flinched again; he had to rub it in, didn't he? Not that she could exactly blame him, she probably would have been way more of a jerk if it had been he who turned his back on her when she needed him most. Still, she had to at least try. After seven years, she needed to know what happened to her friend.

"Please, _Phantom_," she pleaded, stressing the new name, "It's been seven years. I want to know what's happened to you."

"It's none of your business," he continued, trying to close the door, but Sam wasn't about to give up that easily. Besides, she had an excuse.

"I'm staying here for a week," she said smugly. Danny gave her a horror-struck look, but before he could utter a word of protest, she went on, "I have permission from my parents and yours. You can't kick me out, Danny. This isn't your house anymore."

She felt she was going a little too far, but it was still storming (a storm had kicked up the night before, as Jazz predicted) and she doubted that Danny and his gang were about to go anywhere in this weather. Hopefully the storm would last a week, so she could learn about Danny and what's happened all these years.

Danny eyed her angrily, outraged that his parents had allowed her to come, but had no choice but to let her in. After being greeted by the Fentons, Sam sat down on the couch, while Danny sat on a chair backwards, facing the goth girl. She sighed.

"So Danny, what happened?"

"I already told you, it's none of your business."

"Come on Danny, I haven't seen you in seven years, and I'm probably not ever going to see you after that. Can I at least have a good memory of you?"

Danny scowled, but Sam was feeling adventurous today, and dared to ask, "Why are you here in the first place?"

"I didn't want to come back, that's for sure," Danny muttered. Sam wanted to say something, but bit her tongue. She had gotten Danny to start talking, and didn't want to blow it. "Alright, you wanna know what happened? Are you that pathetically desperate?" Sam had an urge to glare at him, but instead nodded her head.

"Fine, if it'll get you off my back. Here's a basic summary of my life. After you guys abandoned me, I went to the ghost zone. I found a small island to live on for a while, but what do know, Skulker happened to live there too. He trapped me in and killed my human half, but I managed to escape before he could destroy my ghost half too. So you see, now I'm a full ghost."

That would explain why he was in ghost mode.

"After I escaped him, I wandered around for days, searching for a place to stay. Eventually, the lack of sleep, food, and water gained up on me, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in Ember's place. She took me in out of pity, but soon enough it turned to love. She changed, Sam. I had gained my strength back long ago, but I didn't need to go anywhere since I knew where I belonged: with Ember. I asked her to marry me, she accepted, and now look where we are. She's seven months pregnant, and we're very happy together. But then a new evil came to the Ghost Zone, called himself King Karsh or something like that. Well, all the ghosts really freaked out when they heard he was coming, from what I've heard, he's very dangerous and will not hesitate to kill anyone. We heard he was coming our way, so we made a run for it. I wanted to fight, of course, but I couldn't with Ember pregnant, and I wasn't going to send her out by herself, so we ran together. We picked up Johnny and Kitty--they're cool, and they've changed too, in fact, they never really were evil, just wild--along with Youngblood, who they pretty much adopted since Kitty can't get pregnant. And so that's basically how we became Team Independence."

Sam nodded, following the whole story with intense interest. Danny continued,

"Every place we stop, we clean up the ghosts and ask for somewhere to spend the night in return. It's been like this non-stop for nearly two months now. I think all of this is taking a toll on Ember, though," he admitted, his voice now changed to that of concern. "She's really exhausted. She has terrible morning sickness that can sometimes last all day, and she's just worn out. Your appetite is supposed to increase when you're pregnant, right? Well, it's the opposite for her, her appetite has decreased. And all this worry and stress...she's just really sick and tired. But," he smiled lovingly at the Ember-image in his mind, "She's the most wonderful woman I have ever met, and I feel really blessed to call her my wife."

Sam's eyes watered at this.

"Danny," she began quietly, sniffing, "I need to tell you this. I never imagined it to be this way, but...I've always loved you!"

With this, she burst out crying. Danny looked wearily at her. His face showed no remorse.

"Sam," he said, once she had calmed considerably, "I...I have a wife now. We're expecting a baby. I love Ember, and I'm never going to leave her. Sam, you're...you're too late."

_You're too late._ Sam burst out sobbing again at the realization of this, but what did she expect, really? That Danny would stay single forever? No, of course he'd get a wife, of course he'd forget about her! Danny seemed generally unaffected by her tears, however, and continued his story as if nothing was happening.

"Our next stop was Amity Park. I didn't want to come here, as you'd expect, but we had a job to do, and we needed a place to spend the night since we'd been driving for three days straight. And so, here we are, there's your story, happy?"

Without even waiting for an answer, he got up and left for upstairs, probably to go see Ember. Leaving Sam to her tears, she cried her heart out as the realization gripped her. She had lost the only person she ever loved. It was too late.

* * *

Batholith Fetish: Ha! Told you it would remain a danny x ember! But now Sam's going to be very jealous. What will happen next? Be prepared for the unexpected, because you won't believe the things some girls can do when they're as jealous as Sam!


	4. Green Monster

Batholith Fetish: (slowly steps in dark fic room) Uh...hello? (lights flicker and a rat scurries across the floor) Have I really been gone that long? (tumbleweed...tumbles across) Where is everybody? (walks into huge spiderweb) Ack! Wait a minute... (notices skeletons lying everywhere) Oh no!! My reviewers!! Oh god, what have I done?! I've made you wait too long!! (cries uncontrollably)

So yeah!! (scene suddenly shifts to a sunny atmosphere where birds are chirping and butterflies flutter around) I am so so so so SO sorry for making you wait so long! I can understand if you never want to review my story again but I had a MAJOR writer's block!! I couldn't think of a thing to write!! I am so very, really, truly SORRY!! :( So as a way of apology, here's the next chapter!! (winces)

* * *

Chapter Four: Green Monster

The next morning (the storm was still raging outside), Sam went down to breakfast to see Danny, Johnny, Kitty, Youngblood, and Ember there along with the Fentons. She glared at Ember and sat down at an empty seat, pouring herself a glass of orange juice angrily. It was during the night, after her tears had dried and she actually thought about Ember, that her sadness was instantly replaced with a huge sense of jealously. _She_ should have been married to Danny, _she_ should have been pregnant, _she _should have been part of a cool team, _she _should have been the one Danny worried over and felt blessed with, not that _witch_! Those were some of the things Sam thought. Apparently, she believed she deserved a future with Danny, but Ember got it instead, and Sam hated her for it.

_There she goes, strutting that pot belly, _she would sometimes comment angrily in her mind. _And she's just so tired, huh? Tough. She just a selfish, attention-grabbing witch who needs a serious reality check._

All these thoughts ran in a confused jumble through Sam's head, some satisfying, others unpleasant, making her agitated and unable to think properly. She growled silently as she clutched her glass of juice. Why did this have to happen? It wasn't supposed to be this way.

"So, the bikes will be ready in a week?" she barely heard Danny ask Jack. "Oh, yeah!" she distinctly recognized Jack's affirmative.

"It was very kind of you to take us in," Sam clearly heard Ember's voice say, and her brows knitted together. "Oh, it's no problem," Maddie insisted, but Sam could hardly make her out. It seemed the only voice she could hear clearly was Ember's, and that made her even angrier.

"Are you sure the bed was comfortable, Amy?" Danny pressed.

"Stop worrying, it was fine!" Ember assured him, sticking her tongue out at him playfully, "I fell asleep straight away. Those are some really nice smelling sheets you have, Mrs. Fenton."

"Why thank you," Maddie thanked her proudly, happy that someone had finally noticed the little comforts she would go the extra mile for to make everyone content. Ember really had changed...not that Sam would admit that, of course.

"Hey Danny, why do you call your wife Amy?" Jazz asked her brother curiously. Jazz was pretty much the only person Danny would speak comfortably with. He never forgot how she stood up for him, even when she was alone, and held a high respect for her because of it.

"Well, Emy didn't sound right, so we settled with Amy," Danny answered, putting his arm around Ember's shoulders. Sam's eye twitched. Unable to stand looking at them so happy together any longer, Sam's eyes wandered to the other team members seated at the table. Johnny's hair was still as greasy as ever, although he had grown it out and now held it back in a ponytail. He also had his left ear pierced, with a gold hoop earring as proof. Since his leather biker jacket was off, Sam could see the tattoo on his left arm. It was a black heart, with a white ribbon and the word Kitty inside tattooed as well.

Sam shifted her gaze to Kitty. Her hair was much shorter now, and was the springy type of curly. Sam guessed it wasn't naturally curly, since her hair had been straight yesterday, or maybe it was the other way around? Either way, she had to admit that she looked pretty anyways. She now had three sets of gold hoop earrings in her right ear, one in her left, an earring stud just next to her eye, and a bellybutton piercing. If Kitty had stuck her tongue out, Sam would have seen that her tongue was pierced too. Since Kitty's red leather jacket was also off, Sam could see that she had the exact same tattoo as Johnny in the exact same place, only her tattoo said 'Johnny' in the ribbon. Besides this, she had a rose tattooed on her hip, and a lizard tattooed on her right ankle. Yep, she had definetely turned into a biker chic.

Youngblood looked pretty much the same, as well as Danny, whose only difference was a taller and more muscular frame. His hair was cut the same way it had always been. But Ember had really changed. She was still slim but now had more curves, and her chest had really blossomed. Her skin was still as pale as ever, but she didn't wear anymore make-up. Now you could see that she had a faint yet attracting natural outline around her eyes, making her green eyes stand out even more. She continued to wear black, but it was now comfortable, not the tight clothes she used to dress up in. Her flaming blue hair was still the same length and held up in her signature ponytail.

After taking everyone in, Sam looked down at herself. She hadn't changed that much. Her clothes had gotten a lot more darker and gothic, and her hair was much longer, but she was sorry to say that her body pretty much stayed the same. Even though she had slimmed down and was taller, her chest remained undeveloped. She inwardly sighed. She didn't have anything to charm Danny with.

After breakfast, everyone went down to the lab to check things out. Sam tried to stay close to Danny, but he noticed and angrily pulled Ember inbetween them. Sam blinked innocently, but was inwardly cursing. She'd have to try another tactic. Maybe flirt with another guy, make Danny jealous? Where was Gregor when you needed him!

Team Independence looked around the basement/lab, inspecting every weapon with immense interest. Sam wondered if they were planning to steal any of them. Standing at a slight distance away, Sam scanned the area with bored eyes, but in reality she was carefully watching the gang's every move. Jack and Maddie were talking enthusiastically to the group, about who knows what, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention. Youngblood, being still a mere child, wanted to touch everything, but Kitty slapped his hands away. Johnny tried to touch an ecto-gun, but she slapped his hands away too.

The lab had been rearranged, but Danny still smiled, if only slightly, at the memories some old weapons brought back. Ember squeezed his hand in understanding, and he smiled warmly at her, making Sam's heart clench. Was she sure about this? Did she really want to break them apart just to get Danny for herself? They looked so happy and content together...and even if she did manage to tear them apart, Danny would probably hate her for that, and never want to be with her. Sam pondered over these second thoughts, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stand the sight of them together.

"Cool place you got here," a voice suddenly sounded behind her, and Sam jumped. She spun around and realized that the voice belonged to Kitty. She had been so busy watching Danny and Ember that she hadn't noticed Kitty walk up behind her.

"Uh, thanks, but it's not mine."

"Oh, it isn't? I though you lived here," Kitty said. Sam's blood heated up again. She would live here if Danny would've married her, but no, that witch just had to come and steal him away.

"No, I live on the other block," Sam replied between clenched teeth.

"Oh."

They were silent for a few awkward moments, the atmosphere heavy and uncomfortable, until Kitty managed to strike up a conversation.

"I like your style. The goth look is so you."

"Really?" Sam inquired, surprised. Nobody had ever really said or even hinted that they liked her style, or at least liked that she wasn't afraid to be herself. Her parents hated the goth look, and mostly everyone else thought it was creepy. Not wanting to be rude, she complimented the ghost girl too. "I like your biker chic look. How many piercings do you have?"

Pretty soon they were talking about all sorts of things relating to the darker side of fashion: piercings, tattoos, leather--all things that appealed to Sam. They hadn't even noticed that the Fentons were done giving their little tour until they started up the steps. The two girls followed suit.

"And so, that's the basement," Jack said, closing the door and patting it lovingly. "Anything else you want to see?"

Danny looked up the stairs. "Is...is my room still like I left it?"

"Just like you left it sweetie," Maddie assured him. "We haven't touched anything."

Danny nodded, and slowly climbed up the stairs, Ember following him. Realizing that they should give Danny some privacy, Maddie went to kitchen to start lunch while Jack and Johnny went to work on the bikes, and Kitty went back to her guest room to see a movie Youngblood was begging her to watch with him. That left Sam standing there in the middle of the carpeted floor, staring up at the stairs Danny and Ember had just climbed. She was silently contemplating things in her mind. Should she follow them up there? She knew Danny would want to see his old room alone, in case the memories it provided overwhelmed him, but she was very curious to know what his reaction would be. Would he be sad? Happy? Angry? All of them? Sam, hating to be left out of things, decided that she needed to find out, and she reluctantly climbed upstairs. She reached the hallway, and a wave of memories rushed over her. She remembered how she, Danny, and Tucker would race up the stairs, usually with a rack of soda or a bag of chips or bowl of popcorn they snuck from the kitchen (much to Maddie's disapproval), and they would sit in a circle on the floor and just talk about nothing and everything.

Sam snapped out of her little flashback, and slowly continued her walk down the hallway. Her hand grabbed Danny's door handle, but didn't turn it. She could hear Danny and Ember's voices inside, but couldn't make out anything they were saying. The urge to know what they were talking about overtook her again, but she was still hesitant. Danny definetely would not want her there. So why was she here again? _Because you need to make sure that greedy witch doesn't keep Danny for herself,_ her mind reminded her confidently. She nodded. She still couldn't quite grasp that Danny and Ember were actually married; she viewed them more as boyfriend and girlfriend rather than husband and wife. That partly kept Sam thinking she still had a chance with Danny; that, and she still couldn't believe he would marry a ghost, much less Ember, that he knew for only seven years, over Sam, whom he had known for twice that long. Before she could stop herself, she turned the handle and pushed the door open.

Whatever conversation they were having ceased immediately, and Danny glared at the intruder.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. Sam chose not to answer, and instead picked up an old framed picture of Danny, Tucker, and herself, when they were still friends.

"Look how young we were," she commented, holding up the picture for Danny to see. He frowned but said nothing, wondering what she was trying to do.

"I've really missed you Danny," she continued, moving towards him and completely ignoring Ember. He stepped back when she got too close, and she stopped. "Did you miss me?"

"Not at all," he answered dryly. "Why would I miss you, when I have her?" he said, referring to Ember and reminding Sam of the ghost's presence. Sam gave her a dirty look.

"Don't look at her that way!" Danny snapped, and Sam turned her attention back to him.

"Oh, but Danny, can't you see? We're perfect for each other," Sam said, batting her eyelashes at him and feeling a lot like Paulina at the moment, much to her disgust.

"No, _Ember_ and I are perfect for each other," he corrected her stubbornly, crossing his arms. "I'd never betray her, and I know she would never betray me either, unlike _you_!"

"How do you know? How can you be so sure she won't leave you?" Sam asked boldly.

"Because I love him," Ember said suddenly, deciding that now was a good time to enter the argument. "And I wouldn't leave him for all the men in the world."

Danny gave her a thankful and loving glance, while Sam began to radiate angry heat.

"You're just saying that because you want to keep him away from me, you greedy witch!" Sam said sharply, beginning to yell.

"Don't you dare talk to her like that!" Danny warned her, beginning to yell too, "And what's this about her keeping me away from you? I do not love you Sam, at all! You're just jealous because there's someone out there that's way better for me than you'll ever be!"

Sam's fists clenched, and she grit her teeth so hard she though they would crack. She swung her fist at Ember, but Danny caught it reflexively and twisted it behind her back.

"Get out of my room!" he ordered, shoving her out the door.

"Oh, for God's sake Danny, stop acting like a little kid!" Sam shouted.

"Get out!"

Before Sam could do anything, he slammed the door in her face. Sam almost screamed. She kicked and pounded against the door in frustration, nearly knocking it off its hinges, but Danny had locked the door.

"What's all the fuss about?" asked Maddie, just coming up the stairs. She looked at Sam expectantly, but the goth girl brushed past her angrily. She stomped down the stairs and ran out of the house. She didn't bring an umbrella, and the rain soaked her instantly. Lighting flashed across the sky, thunder quickly following suit. The streets of Amity Park were pretty much deserted, as no one wanted to be out in the storm.

"Only an idiot would be outside in this weather," Sam commented sadly. "An idiot like me." She walked aimlessly around the streets, until she came to a statue of Danny Phantom that the town had made in his honor after he left. She sighed and sat down, staring up at it. Her skirt was getting muddy, but she could care less. Why did Danny love Ember and not her? _Because she's hypnotizing him,_ the evil side of her conscience said, but her good side disagreed.

_Sam, Danny doesn't love you anymore, _her good conscience said. _You have to accept that and move on. Look at yourself. Twenty one years old and you still don't have a boyfriend. Why? Because you still want Danny. But you need to understand that we can't always have what we want. It's hard, but sometimes you have to let go of the past, so you can have a future._

Sam nodded at herself (she's been doing that a lot lately, huh?), tears pricking her eyes. She still loved Danny, but he loved someone else now. There were millions of other men out there in the world, who said she had to be with Danny? Especially when someone already had him. Sure she wanted to be part of a cool team, sure she wanted to be pregnant, sure she wanted to be loved and cared for, but she could have that. It didn't have to be with Danny, she could find another man. A better man for herself.

She sighed and nodded at herself again, her maturity pointing her in the right direction, and walked back to the house. Ignoring Maddie's inquiries as to where she had gone, she walked back up to the room she was staying in, grabbing some dry clothes from her drawer. Just as she was about to go to the bathroom to change and dry off, however, Danny and Ember walked past her. She tried to catch Danny's eye, but he didn't even glare at her, he just ignored her. They walked briskly down the stairs. Sam growled and clenched her fists.

No matter how many times she told herself not to let it bother her, she simply could not stand the sight of them together.

* * *

Batholith Fetish: (sigh) I've given Sam such good advice, but she's still too overwhelmed by jealousy. And we all know what jealousy can do to a girl, and what it can make her do... (lightning flashes) bwahahaha! Review!


	5. IMPORTANT

**Batholith Fetish: **ATTENTION EVERYONE!! No, this is not a new chapter, and I'm sorry, I too know how it feels like to see that a story you've been waiting to update has finally updated, only to find out it's really a message, yes it's crushing and annoying, I know, and I'm sorry, but what I'm about to tell you is very important.

I have created a new fanfiction account: PsychoIguana. That means that all unfinished stories (including this one) are going to be finished in my new account. I'll send out messages to all who reviewed, but for those who haven't or can't review but still like this story, go to my profile. I'll add my new account, PsychoIguana, in my favorite author's list as soon as I can, so you can easily find me.

Out of Proportion will not be completed under this account, but instead, I will finish it as PsychoIguana.

Thank you for your patience and reviews!! :)


End file.
